The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world; the collective emotional and physical toll, uncertainty, and disruption is like nothing most of us have ever experienced.
The first wave of the global pandemic sparked many significant discoveries about our health – we realised COVID-19 impacts, everyone, differently. This new disease affects people of all ages; however some have a higher risk of developing severe symptoms, some experience only mild symptoms, others are asymptomatic.
So we question, what exactly is it that makes us more or less susceptible to disease? And, how can we protect ourselves and those around us, both at work and at home?’
What makes us susceptible to disease?
Many factors contribute to what makes us more or less susceptible to disease. These include personal health risk factors, such as our age, gender, family health history, and lifestyle.
Some risk factors can’t be changed, such as our genes or ethnicity, while others are within our control, like diet, and physical activity.
In regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, statistics show that the elderly and those with coexisting conditions (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer) have higher morbidity and mortality.
Additionally, COVID-19 surveillance data found that the prevalence of infection was almost four times as high in people aged 40 years or older, and higher among men than women, in BIPOC than white people, and in people with obesity than normal-weight people.
The importance of self-managed health during COVID-19
Given the significance of many varying factors that affect our susceptibility to disease, we’ve realised the importance of needing to understand our health better and how to control, monitor, and make positive changes in order to lower our risk of developing severe illness, such as COVID-19.
Certain factors like diet, sleep quality, exercise, tobacco and alcohol consumption, body composition, and heart health can all have an impact on our overall risk of developing preventable diseases like diabetes, stroke, or heart conditions.
The ability to better understand our health becomes paramount, not only in the fight against COVID-19, but for better healthcare for all.
Take control of your health with the COVID-19 Severity Risk Score
In a world where a global pandemic has required us to spend more time in isolation, we’ve needed to rethink how we can continue to provide healthcare in a remote capacity.
New technologies and shifting needs have opened up new possibilities. Huma partnered with Johns Hopkins University and discovered that remote health monitoring tools and technologies that have benefitted hospitals and research institutes, can also be a vital weapon in fighting COVID-19 in the workplace.
This discovery led to the development of the COVID-19 Severity Risk Score; an assessment tool that provides a score for an individual’s risk or likelihood of developing more severe illness, should they contract COVID-19.
The risk assessment lives within the Huma Health Shield app, a back-to-work solution which pioneers self-managed health, by placing the control in the individual’s hands. It gives employees greater knowledge and control over their health, to not only help prevent COVID-19 from entering the workplace but to make better lifestyle choices to improve their health moving forward.
Digital health solutions like Huma Health Shield, are vital in helping us better understand and track our health, and resume life as best as possible during COVID-19, and beyond.
See how Huma Health Shield can help you and your teams manage and take better control of their health.